Taiwanese should use their votes to change the government because the current administration under President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is wasting taxpayers’ money and does not take care of the public, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
“If the people want a president who knows how to ‘keep the house on a sparse income,’ then I’m the public’s perfect choice,” Tsai said at a campaign stop in Greater Tainan.
During her visit to various temples, passionate supporters, including some between 70 and 80 years old, greeted Tsai with calls of tong-suan (凍蒜, meaning “get elected” in Hoklo, commonly known as Taiwanese).
Photo: Wang Chin-yi, Taipei Times
Some others even showed their support by handing Tsai red envelopes stuffed with donations for her campaign.
“Many people tell me they feel these past few years have been difficult or that they often feel ‘gloomy,’” Tsai said.
According to Tsai, there were three reasons why people said they were gloomy: First, it was because the current government did not care for the rights and sovereignty of Taiwanese and people felt no “honor” in being Taiwanese, she said.
“Second, was because the younger generation can’t find jobs and that leads their parents and grandparents to worry,” Tsai said, adding that the elderly often feel panicked because they have no one to rely on when their children or grandchildren have no income.
“Finally, it is because the current government is very adept at ‘misusing money,’” Tsai said.
“The Ma administration can spend NT$200 million [US$6.66 million] to hold a celebratory soiree for the nation’s 100th anniversary featuring the Dreamers musical, but it can’t manage to allot NT$10 million to give milk to poor children,” Tsai said.
Tsai added that the nation’s development was imbalanced with the majority of the resources being allocated to the north, thus limiting development in the south.
“This is a very unfair situation,” she said.
Tsai said she hoped people would use their votes to change the current government for one that would safeguard Taiwan’s sovereignty, one that would fairly use and allocate resources and allow for balanced development between northern and southern Taiwan.
“Let your votes give you a government that will give the people faith and pride in being Taiwanese,” Tsai said to the crowd.
Tsai is slated to open her regional campaign headquarters in Greater Kaohsiung today.
Translated by Jake Chung, staff writer
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
TAIWANESE INNOVATION: The ‘Seawool’ fabric generates about NT$200m a year, with the bulk of it sourced by clothing brands operating in Europe and the US Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusk farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool.” Wang remembered that residents of his seaside hometown of Yunlin County used discarded oyster shells that littered the streets during the harvest as insulation for their homes. “They burned the shells and painted the residue on the walls. The houses then became warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” the 42-year-old said at his factory in Tainan. “So I was
THE TOUR: Pope Francis has gone on a 12-day visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He was also invited to Taiwan The government yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to the Asia-Pacific region and said it would continue extending an invitation for him to visit Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks as Pope Francis began a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Monday. He is to travel about 33,000km by air to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, and would arrive back in Rome on Friday next week. It would be the longest and most challenging trip of Francis’ 11-year papacy. The 87-year-old has had health issues over the past few years and now uses a wheelchair. The ministry said
Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass
RSS